Banks School District Superintendent Jim Foster to retire in June

View full sizeBrent Wojahn/The OregonianBanks School District Superintendent Jim Foster will retire at the end of the school year. A search is currently underway to find his successor.

Jim Foster came to Banks High School 32 years ago as a social studies and reading teacher and never left.

After a lifetime spent educating kids in Banks as a teacher, high school principal, athletic director and finally superintendent, Foster is retiring at the end of the school year.

"The next person that comes in, I'll give them this, they have a great group of people to work with," Foster said. "I've been surrounded with some great people. I can't say enough good things about them."

Two hour-long meetings are planned to give the community a chance to express what qualities they want in the next superintendent. The first is 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17 and the second is 9 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 19.

A brief survey is also available on the district website through Dec. 1. The district hopes to have someone hired by July 1, 2012.

Foster said he is "torn" on what his role is in finding a replacement.

"I think the board would like me to be here to give them some insight into what a person needs and maybe some insight into some different candidates and what we (see) in the application process," Foster said.

Assessing the qualities his successor needs to have, Foster said "people skills" rank high on the list.

"Integrity is huge working with the staff and the community," he said. "You have to be able to talk with those people and be honest with those people. Listening is huge."Foster said he has been fortunate in his career to work in Banks, where the community has always been supportive of the school district and kids retain school spirit.

"I've always enjoyed what I do," he said. "I love getting up and coming into work. The further you move up the ladder, I miss the interaction with staff as a principal or a peer, and I miss the interaction with kids."

Like many other districts across the state, Banks School District has faced budget cuts and ballooning class sizes.

Students may be weathering the challenges well, but Foster said his replacement must be able to help the district continue to navigate the rough economy.

"Moving forward, everyone's saying things aren't looking like they're going to get better right away," he said. "We might be skaing on this thin ice for the next couple of bienniums."

As Foster puts a cap on a 34-year career in public education, like many educators, it is the students he said have made the biggest impact on him.

"I think what I'll remember most is interactions with students and watching them grow, and more importantly watching where they went after they left school," he said. "They come back and you talk to them, and they all find their niche in life